


chills and thrills

by onecentpipit



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, Yachi-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-02 19:21:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2823227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onecentpipit/pseuds/onecentpipit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hitoka learns a different way to fly with Hinata and Kageyama at her side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	chills and thrills

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Icie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icie/gifts).



> dear icie: the friendship between yachi+hinata+kageyama is so cute and i've really wanted to write about the three of them, so i'm glad i had the chance to write about them for you~ i hope you enjoy!!

Takeda and Shimizu leave the announcement for Hitoka to make to the team.

"It's all because of your hard work," Takeda says, smiling kindly as he hands her the stack of freshly printed permission forms.  Hitoka gulps, taking it with clumsy fingers.  It's her first time addressing the team alone, without Shimizu taking the lead.  Shimizu might not speak very loudly but she manages some kind of command over Karasuno's volleyball team.  Even Tanaka and Nishinoya pay attention when she talks.

"Don't worry," Shimizu tells her.  She's wearing the team jacket over her school uniform instead of her usual gym clothes.  "They'll definitely listen to you."

Hitoka nods weakly.  She's sure everyone will try their hardest, but Hitoka knows that public speaking has never been her strong point.  What if she opens her mouth and no sound comes out?  What if she opens her mouth and all that does come out is a mousy squeak that gets swept away into the volleyball void?  What if they realize that she's not good manager material after all?  What if--

"Hitoka-chan?" Shimizu calls out to her.  "Practice is about to start now." 

Embarrassed, Hitoka scurries out of Takeda's office and follows them to the gym.

 

With the spring tournament coming up so soon, practices have steadily intensified under Coach Ukai’s orders.  Hitoka is busy, too, running around with a clipboard to keep track of everyone's daily progress.  Even with an untrained eye, she can sense the subtle differences in Kageyama's tosses now, the quick adjustments that he makes almost instinctively in response to the others' set-ups.  The success rate of Kageyama and Hinata's improved quick strike is increasing, too, and everyone is in high spirits when Ukai calls the team together to debrief at the end of practice.

"Your managers would also like to say something," Ukai says, when he's finished talking.  Shimizu gives Hitoka a gentle push, and Hitoka steps forward.

" _EXCUSE ME, EVERYONE_ ," she says as loudly as she can, eyes squeezed shut.  " _I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE_."

"Nice voice, Yacchan!" Tanaka calls out, and Hitoka blushes, losing her train of thought.  Sugawara elbows Tanaka and shushes him like a child.

"Please continue, Yachi-san," Sawamura says, arms crossed as he glowers at the rowdier second years.  Hitoka peeks one eye open, then the other, and sees Hinata giving her a silent but enthusiastic thumbs up.  She steadies herself and keeps talking.

"Thanks to the very generous donations of our community members, the team has a budget surplus for this fiscal year."

" _Surplus.  Fiscal year_ ," Nishinoya whispers to Azumane.  "What does that mean?"  Azumane scratches his head sheepishly, equally confused.

Hitoka shuffles through her color-coded notes, looking for the pastel pink contingency card.  "It means we have more money than our team's allowance," she answers.  Tsukishima snorts derisively at Nishinoya's exaggerated nod of understanding, but even he looks interested despite himself.  "Takeda-sensei has already gained the school's approval for a short team trip during winter break."

An excited murmur breaks out, interrupting her, and Hitoka looks back at Shimizu for support.  Shimizu nods encouragingly but Hitoka doesn't know what to do now that she's lost her momentum.

"Where are we going?" Sugawara asks, cutting through the furor with a wink at Hitoka.  She smiles gratefully at him and collects herself, taking a deep breath.

"Takeda-sensei has a friend who owns a small ski resort and is willing to give us a deal, if that's fine with everyone?"  The team begins cheering before Hitoka even finishes her question.

"Waaah!" Hinata yells, and Tanaka tosses Nishinoya into the air in celebration.

"Everyone's been working hard," Ukai says, stepping forward to get everyone's attention as Hitoka fades into the background again with embarrassment.  "But it's also important to rest your body when it needs it."

The team voices their somewhat disorganized assent and Ukai dismisses them with one last reminder to eat a proper dinner when they go home.  It's the first years' turn to clean up the gym, so Hitoka stays to help.

"Yachi-san sounded like a real professional," Hinata says, pausing to wipe his forehead.  "All those fancy words!"

It's kind of him, but Hitoka knows better.  "I was too stiff, wasn't I?" she asks, looking down at her feet.

Hinata's brow creases, thoughtfully, as he leans against his mop.  "Maybe just a little?" he finally says.  Hitoka winces, ready to apologize, when Kageyama passes by, pointedly mopping past Hinata.

"You'll get better," he interjects.  "You're working hard, just like everyone else on the team."

"Oh, Kageyama-kun, that was surprisingly nice of you," Hinata says, and Kageyama flushes.

"Shut up!"

Hitoka smiles to herself as Hinata and Kageyama continue to argue, racing across the gym with their mops.  It's good to see them so close, their fight before the Spring High preliminaries still a sharp memory in her mind.  HInata and Kageyama haven't clashed like that since, but that day still frightens Hitoka -- not out of any real concern, but because Hitoka has never cared for anything as much as Karasuno's unruly flock of crows.

"Is everything okay?" Yamaguchi asks, pausing in his work to stare at Hinata and Kageyama's intense cleaning spree.  Tsukishima mutters something darkly under his breath, but Hitoka just smiles at them.

"Yes," she answers, beaming.  

 

Hitoka's mother is a little less thrilled.

"You let me go to Tokyo," Hitoka points out, pouring a cup of tea.  Lately, she's been trying to be more direct with her mother, who seems both proud of and annoyed by this development.

"That was for a training camp," her mother sniffs, taking the tea cup and knocking it back like a shot glass.  She has a project deadline due in two days and has been working like a demon for the past seventy-two hours.  "This is different.  I've been on ski trips with boys before.  I know what happens."

"What?" Hitoka asks innocently.  Her mother frowns at her, eyes heavy with dark circles.

"Ever since you joined that volleyball team, you've changed," her mother complains.  "I'm not sure I like it."  Still, she ruffles Hitoka's hair with a proud smile on her lips, and Hitoka ducks her head.

"I'm going to bed now," Hitoka says, refilling the kettle with fresh water.  Her mother grunts in response, waving off Hitoka as her cell phone rings and she starts digging through the explosion of folders and markers on her desk. 

Her mother has already left for work by the time Hitoka wakes up for school the next morning, but Hitoka finds the signed permission form on the dining table.

 

The trip is scheduled a few days into winter break.  This time, Hinata and Kageyama pass all their courses, to Hitoka's immense pride and everyone else's intense relief.  Kageyama scrapes by on his Literature exam almost entirely by the strength of his kanji memorization technique, but Hitoka had prepared him just enough with her own practice reading comprehension questions.

"We really couldn't have done it without you!" Hinata says, forcing Kageyama to bow with him in front of her before they board the bus from school.

"Thank you," Kageyama tells her simply when Hinata releases him.

"It was nothing," Hitoka says, taking her seat.  "I'm just glad you're able to come with us this time!"

"Just don't throw up on anybody," Tsukishima mutters, and Hinata glares at him.

The rest of the ride is fairly uneventful, and Hitoka is gently lulled to sleep  by the rocking of the bus.  It's already dark when she wakes from her nap to see that the bus has  stopped in front of an old wooden gate.

"We're here," Shimizu tells her in a hushed voice.  Takeda's friend had apparently told him wouldn't be many other guests around during their trip, but hardly anyone speaks in the sleepy winter dusk.  Hinata stumbles coming off the bus, nearly knocking into Hitoka, and Kageyama is forced to steady him from behind.

"Sorry," Hinata says, rubbing at his eyes while Takeda greets his friend, the lodge owner, and collects their keys.  Nishinoya and Tanaka take advantage of the momentary distraction to charge Hitoka with the task of warding off any potential love rivals from Shimizu.

"It's really important, Yacchan!" Tanaka whisper-shouts after Hitoka as she follows Shimizu to their room away from the rest of them.  "We're counting on you!"

Sawamura spots the two second years lingering in the hallway and runs back for them.  "You're going to disturb the other guests," he growls, dragging Tanaka away.

"Don't forget!" Nishinoya calls out as Sugawara firmly pushes him to their shared room.  Shimizu shakes her head at their antics and takes Hitoka's duffel bag.

"You must be tired, Hitoka-chan," she says.  Hitoka wants to protest but she yawns embarrassingly loudly instead.

"Sorry!" she squeaks, and Shimizu laughs gently at her.  It makes Hitoka feel all floaty inside.  Ever since she moved to this school district in junior high, Hitoka has never been able to make any close friends with the girls in her classes.  It's nice just being able to talk to Shimizu as they get ready for bed and slip slip under the covers of their futon.

 

Hitoka wakes up the next morning and peeks out the windows facing the ski slopes.  The mountains are shining with clean, fresh snow and the sun is high in the clear sky.  It's a dazzling winter landscape, and Hitoka takes a few photos on her phone to show her mother after the trip.

"Are you ready?" Shimizu asks Hitoka from the doorway after they've both gotten dressed.  Hitoka finishes tying her hair and checks that the ends of her scarf are tucked securely around her neck.

"Yes!"

The rest of the team is already waiting for them outside with their gear.  Only Takeda doesn't have a snowboard or a pair of skis next to him, although he looks just as excited as the others to be out in the snow.  Hinata and Kageyama are liveliest of all, already challenging each other to a race down the hill.

"Kiyoko-san!" Tanaka and Nishinoya cry, hugging each other in delight when they see Shimizu appear in her cute pastel blue ski jacket.  She easily sidesteps them to head toward the equipment rental booth.

"Aren't you going to join us?" Yamaguchi asks when Hitoka doesn't follow her.  Hitoka blushes, cheeks over-heating despite the winter chill.

"I'm not really..." she stammers, wringing her hands.

"I'm not very good either," he rushes to reassure her.  "But Tsukki snowboards really well, so I follow his lead."

"I don't know how to at all," Hitoka confesses.  She means to say it quietly, but her voice carries in the cold air.

"Huh?"  Hinata looks up, distracted from his on-going tussle with Kageyama in the snow.  "We can teach you!"

"Get off!  Oi!" Kageyama yells from beneath Hinata, who ignores his protests.

"Come on, Kageyama, say you'll help."

"I will, now let me go, dumbass!"

Hinata finally helps Kageyama stand, and Hitoka finds herself being ushered to the ski rental counter.  She's not used to being the center of attention but the Karasuno team members seem to have made it their mission to see Hitoka shakily standing up on two bright orange skis.

"We'll leave her to you two, then," Sugawara says, clapping Kageyama and Hinata on the back.  "Have fun!" he tells Hitoka.  Sawamura looks vaguely concerned at leaving them behind but Takeda waves him off with the other members of their party.

"Go enjoy yourselves," Takeda says.  "I can watch over them!"

 

Hitoka's first skiing lesson begins at the small practice hill for children in front of the off-piste rest area where Takeda has settled with a book.  Hitoka looks a bit longingly to where he is, but it's hard not to get a little swept up in Hinata's enthusiasm and Kageyama's intensity.  The strange whirlwind mix of their teaching styles sends Hitoka's head spinning (sometimes literally, in soft flurries of snow), but soon Hitoka's eyes are wide with wonder rather than fear as she glides down the hill to a gentle stop.

"She needs to bend her legs more," Kageyama says, eyes narrowed with concentration.

"It's fine," Hinata dismisses, "look, she's doing great!"

"I did it!" says Hitoka, breathlessly walking toward them on her skis.

"Good job!" Hinata yells at her, jumping high up in the air despite his snowboarding boots.  He lands deep into the snow mount, and both Kageyama and Hitoka rush toward him.

"Is everyone fine?" Takeda calls out to them, book laid down by his side.  Hinata leaps up immediately, waving at him and flashing a peace sign.  Kageyama starts shouting at him to be more careful, but Hitoka recognizes the undercurrent of relief to his scolding.  Hinata ducks his head guiltily, trying to avoid Kageyama's wrath, and turns to Hitoka.

"Let's go on one of the slopes, now, Yachi-san!" he says.  She wavers, uncertainty creeping in again like the cold wind.

"Do you think I can?"

"We'll go down with you," Kageyama says, eyebrows already furrowed in determination.  It's strangely reassuring, and Hitoka thinks she understands how it's like for Hinata to stand on the court with absolute faith in Kageyama and his tosses.

"How about it?" Hinata asks again, as if sensing her thoughts.  She nods before she can lose her nerve.

"I'm... I'm going to do it!" Hitoka says, with all her strength.  Hinata and Kageyama look taken aback at first, but Hinata quickly recovers, grabbing her hand and facing out toward the valley to yell into the wind.

"Yeah, let's go!  We'll do it together!"

Hitoka laughs giddily and follows suit.  "Together!" she shouts, holding her hands up around her mouth.

"Together!  Hey, Kageyama, you say it, too!"

 

Hinata and Kageyama go down the slope with her all afternoon, until the rest of the team comes down and the afternoon devolves into a snowball fight.  Hitoka hides mostly on the sidelines with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima, but even their spot isn't always been guaranteed safety from stray tosses.  Hitoka's entire body aches at the end of the day, after all their screaming and playing in the snow.  She slips into the hot water pool in the onsen after a quick wash, settling in comfortably next to Shimizu.

"Did you have fun today?" Shimizu asks, leaning back against the wall of the pool.  Her cheeks are flushed, and Hitoka is struck again by how pretty Shimizu is before nodding in response..

"I only went on the beginners' slope but--"  Hitoka trips over her words in her excitement and Shimizu grins.

"But you enjoyed yourself?"

"Yes!"

After their baths, they join the team for dinner, where Ukai surprises everyone with his own contribution to the trip by treating them to hot pot.

" _Meat_ ," the team gasps reverently when they see the platters of thinly sliced beef.  "Thank you!"

"Oi, Tsukishima, eat up!" Nishinoya calls out.  "How'd you get so big anyway when you barely eat anything?"

The space around the burners is over-crowded, so Hitoka waits for the others to serves themselves first.

"Here."  Kageyama takes her dish and fills it with some vegetables from the pot before handing it back to her.  "I'll get you meat later."

"Thank you!"  Hitoka carefully dips a cooling cabbage leaf into ponzu sauce and eats.  Kageyama continues to tend to the simmering pot, and Hitoka watches curiously.  "Kageyama-kun is really good at this," she comments.

"I have to cook for myself sometimes when my parents come home late," Kageyama explains and hisses when Hinata accidentally jostles him from his other side.  "Oi, Hinata!"

"Sorry!" Hinata frantically draws back, afraid of risking Kageyama's anger, but leans back towards them with interest when he notices the fresh meat in Kageyama's chopsticks.  "Hey, Kageyama, give me some, too," he whines.  Disgruntled, Kageyama drops a slice of meat in front of Hinata, who immediately pops it into his mouth.

"Wait, you little -- let it cool first!"

"Tastes great!"  Hinata beams at Kageyama.  "Nice job, Kageyama!"

Hitoka giggles as Kageyama stares at him, mouth open in shock.

"Kageyama's face is doing something funny," the upperclassmen whisper conspiratorially amongst themselves.  Face red, Kageyama shovels rice into his mouth.

"You're going to choke if you don't slow down," Hinata says, oblivious, and Hitoka hastily pours Kageyama a glass of water just in case.  Kageyama doesn't end up choking, but he does exchange increasingly wary glances with Hinata, who takes that as a challenge to see who can eat more.  It's a race without any real terms or conditions until Sawamura finally cuts them off for their own good.

 

After dinner, Hitoka sits on the wooden deck lining one of the open areas of the lodge, the steamy heat coming from the hot springs shielding her from the worst of the winter cold.  The stars look brighter up here in the mountains than they do in town, Hitoka marvels, watching them twinkle against the inky black sky.  Her solitude is interrupted when Hinata and Kageyama join her after only a few minutes, looking restless and bored.

"Gwaah, today was so fun!" Hinata says, stretching his arms out over his head and kicking his legs.  Hitoka can still feel the shadow sensations from skiing in her own legs even though they're still too tired to move.

"Do you ski a lot?" she asks.

"I love it!" Hinata says, cheerfully.  "Not as much as volleyball, but still a lot.  It's kind of like flying."

Hitoka feels guilty now that she realizes that he wasn't able to ski as much, or as quickly, as he probably would have liked.  "I'm sorry that I took up so much of your time today," she apologizes.  Hinata laughs it off.

"It's fine!"

"We wouldn't be here anyway if it weren't for you," Kageyama adds, looking sideways at them.

Hitoka shakes her head, protesting. "I just helped a bit.  You had to do all the studying yourself."

"No, we mean the posters!  For the donations!" Hinata tells her.

"You did that all by yourself,"  Kageyama agrees.

"I had such great subjects though," Hitoka says earnestly.  They had done their quick strike again and again while Hitoka had struggled to capture the right moment, when Hinata reached the highest point of his jump and Kageyama's toss fit perfectly into his hand.

"We made them together," Kageyama says, with an air of finality.

Hinata makes a face.  "That's not...wrong.  But don't just decide things by yourself!"

"I said, 'we,' didn't I?"  Kageyama and Hinata continue to argue while Hitoka thinks, a warm feeling of happiness spreading throughout her body and reaching her fingertips.

"I like that," she says, her light voice rising above their bickering.  They pause, looking at her blankly.  "We're going to make it through the spring tournament together."

She reaches out with both arms, fingers tucked into her palms minus the pinkies, which she points at them.  Hinata immediately links his little finger with hers and nudges Kageyama to the same.  Blushing furiously as he glares at the ground, Kageyama extends his pinky finger toward her other hand.

“It’s a promise,” Hinata swears to her, and Kageyama nods in agreement.  Fingers still linked, Hitoka smiles proudly at them and looks up at the sky again.  She’s looking forward to flying with them in the days to come, above the tall trees and the snow covered mountain slopes.


End file.
